The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-15
DOXEY WILL NOT PIPE GAS
He States that He Doesn't Deem 1t Ad-
visable to Try to Carry Out His Plans.
His Reasons for Withdrawing from the Field
What Is Thought of the Matter by Citi-
Zens-Movements of Other Companies.

of their pledges or applications TO contract for
gas on the Doxey plan. They were sent back to
Ihe applicants through the mails, not in lots,
lay after day, but all at With each
pledge was circular letter from the Anderson
Naturalgas and Oil Company by c. T. Doxey.
president, which read under date of the l3th
INST:
Herewith find Enclosed your application for natural
gas contract. For the reasons given the public we
compelled to abandon the attempt to furnish
natural gas to the citizens of lndanapolis 1t IS to
be regretted such the case and having arrived
1t this conclusion. good faith on our part demands
hat your application be returned to YOU We thank
that the day may not be far distant gas
n your city may be regarded as an existing fact
The Major and one OF his clerks were engaged
in preparing their applications for mailing on
Thursday. He said however, that they
counting them to see how far short they were
of the number required. Il will decide very
soon," the Major then said, whether not to
carry out the enterprise. Some solicitors have
not reported, but hope to hear from them to-
morrow and it may be that the applications they
have will bring the number MP to what is
wanted" But it seems that Major Doxoy had
already decided TO quit the field for the reasons
set forth in the following address:
To the Citizens of Indianapolis:
For more than a month past this company has made
an earnest effort to enlist your aid and
magnitude of the labor and expense involved in such
an had been fully consid by us at the
WINGED that successful outcome to effort could
only be had by active and united action upon your
part Our estimate of the number of consumers
your city aggregates about 20 600. OF this number
we reasonably anticipated that under the liberal
large centage, in fact at least a majority,
we have been able to secure not over 6 per
cent. of the whole number. AT the least calculation.
it will require an expenditure of $500 900 to per-
a
effective service, and taking into consideration the
very low prices established by the city ordinance we
constrained say that do not deem it advisa-
BILE to attempt to out proposed plan unless
had been able secure three 6fths a
5orty of the 1t is with regret that this
conclusion has been forced upon but the great
attached to the construction of safe and
cessfu pipeline and plant, together with the hazard
Of the investment deters and will deter any other
company CORPORATION from piping gas into your
city under the present ordnance unless met with the
active announcement and Endorsement of majority
of fuel consumers With this conclusion arrived at
good faith with those who gave their encourage
ment requires to surrender all applications
file, and shall do without delay by mailing such
application the address of each applicant through
the city postofice. Respectfully,
The ANDERSON NATURAL-GAs AND OIL Co.
by G. t. DoXEY, President.)
Oct. 13, 1887.
1t was asserted at the abandoned Office of the
company, yesterday, where clerk direct
ing the shipment of box of
papers, prospectuses and books An
derson and the return of furniture to dealers,
That the report that Major DOXey represented
the Standard Oil Company injured the enter
prise. THE fact is" said the clerk, ''the
Standard Oil Company was waiting to what
the Major could do, and then, If his enterprise
promised success, to begin piping from its No.
blesville fields. The Anderson company could
not have competed with that strong corpora
ton He'd IL not been for that probability be-
leve Major Doxey would have gone on with the
enterprise. Notwithstanding the fact he had
pledges only from 1000 citizens to take gas
from him.
The Major says he endeavored to purchase
or lease the Standards wells in Hamilton county,
but could not accomplish his purposes In that
direction on any terms In addition to this he
claims that he embarrassed in trying to per-
feet contracts for pipe. He found, he asserts,
that every manufacturing company. except the
National tube-works, had contracted up to its
full capacity until the lat OF January. The
excepted company had given option either
the Indianapolis Natural-gas the Guffey COM
pany. he could count on getting only eight or
ten miles of eight-inch mains.
citizen, who has been active in procuring
pledges in the northeast part of the city, said he
had talked with Major Doxey. who gave him
further satisfaction for abandoning the field
than what is stated in his address to the citizens.
II believe" continued the citizen, 'that the
Major never intended TO bring gas to this city
until he could have had the ordinance materially
changed repealed by substituting for it one
that met The wishes of those in whose interest
now think he was working do not believe
that he wanted to obtain the number of pledges
he said he desired, for the other day was in his
office and those pledges were pouring in by the
be disturbed, and instead of showing any
pleasure at receiving so many began
TO suggest probable embarrassmeuts that would
strnd in the way of ACCOMPLISHING his plans.
became suspicious then, and l thought that
even with every other condition fulfilled he
would find some excuse to delay his work until
the schedule of prices was raised by the Council.
see now that there can be sincerity of pur-
pose in any enterprise when ali the pledges are
given on one side. In this case Doxey asked the
citizens to- do everything and IN return he
would bring gas to the city, when he thought IL
could be done with the hope of securing a large
profit. L do not if we do not get gas
for ten years, and above all other considera-
tons. want it understood that an opposed to
any change in the present ordinance"
In regard TO the schedule of rates Major
Doxey sad II think the ordinance prices are a
little low, but n profit might be made them
IL large number of consumers could be assured.
From the ], 200 people who agreed to take
trom our company the gross income would have
been about So. 000 but of this number of prom
lsed consumers many wanted gas only for one
hrc, and there were stacks of pledges from
zach of which only 81 could be realized"
Now that the plan has failed there many |
Jtories of what might have been had the can.
vassers done their duty. 1t is asserted that |
some never called for the contracts they left at
houses to be filed out. Many persons who |
would have been large consumers, it Is said,
were not approached at all. but the prevailing
opinion Is that there was nothing substantial in
The Doxey plan from the outset II think" said
= citizen. that il the Major really intended to
bring gas to Indianapolis under the ordinance
prices he would have had pipes laid at least half
The distance TO the city before he made his prop
osition to the citizens. Had he done this the
people who have throughout questioned the sue.
cess of the enterprise would have been among
the first to subscribe to the pledges required"
There is great deal of dissatisfaction among
the citizens who have been interested in this
movement, and all sorts of criticisms, from the
mild TO the severe can be heard.
Allen NJ Fletcher Of the Indian apolis com
pany, said yesterday, that his company had a
policy. but nothing to announce at this time. 1t
Is given out unauthoritatveiy that this COM
pany has distributed eleven carloads or pipe on
The line from its wells this city, pnt it is
thought early effort will be made to have
the ordinance prices increased before the city
gets from this source. The Broad Ripple
;ompany's directors state positively that they
will have a pipeline to Indianapolis this fall.
To this company the schedule of rates is salts
factory, DIR. Light. OF the directors. says
stanton j. Peelle. of the CAPITAL City company,
SAYS It Is the intention OF that corporation to
aY pipes from its wells this fall. and that no |